Globe Earns Top Industry, Workplace Honors at ACES 2026

Globe Telecom has earned two distinctions at the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability (ACES) Awards 2026 for its business performance and efforts to build a workplace where employees can grow and succeed. The company was named Industry Champions of the Year for the sixth time and Top Workplaces in Asia for the eighth time, recognizing its progress in strengthening connectivity, improving customer experience, and investing in its people.

Globe's Industry Champions of the Year distinction acknowledges its financial resilience, network expansion, innovation, and customer service. The ACES Council cited the company's ₱87.6 billion EBITDA in 2025, alongside the deployment of 1,549 new 5G sites and the addition of 115,082 fiber lines to support growing demand for connectivity.

Beyond network expansion, Globe has focused on making customer interactions faster and more convenient. Supported by automation, streamlined processes, and employee involvement, Globe reduced average customer waiting time from 32 to 17 minutes. Its Globe Care Crew initiative also brings employees closer to customers through frontline immersion and volunteer support during peak periods and post-disaster recovery.

The ACES Council also recognized Globe's efforts in cybersecurity, digital solutions, and extending connectivity to underserved communities. These initiatives reflect the company's broader focus on improving service delivery while expanding access to digital opportunities.

The company's Top Workplaces in Asia recognition reflects its continued investment in employee development, engagement, and inclusion. Globe continues to provide employees with opportunities to grow professionally, explore new roles, and develop skills across different areas of the business. The company also encourages employees to contribute ideas, improve work processes, and explore new technologies, including AI, to help strengthen operations and deliver better customer experiences.

“These honors are meaningful because they reflect the progress we have made, but what matters most is how our people experience working at Globe. We want every Ka-Globe to feel supported, have opportunities to grow, and build a fulfilling career. We will continue listening to our employees and making improvements that respond to their needs,” said Renato “Ato” Jiao, Globe Chief Human Resource Officer.

Learn more about Globe's people and workplace culture at www.createeverydaypossibilities.com.

For more information about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.

Pet Pals Theme Brings a Playful Touch to Vivo V80 with OriginOS 7

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Smartphone personalization is becoming more expressive, and Vivo is bringing a playful twist to everyday mobile interactions with the upcoming Vivo V80. Powered by OriginOS 7, the device introduces Pet Pals, a wallpaper theme that features virtual pets designed to move and interact with users.

Unlike traditional static wallpapers, Pet Pals adds personality to the lock screen through animated virtual companions. Whether users are checking notifications or glancing at the time, these digital pets make everyday smartphone interactions more engaging. For pet lovers and users who enjoy customizing their devices, the feature offers a charming way to bring a little fun to their daily routines.

More Ways to Personalize the Vivo V80

Pet Pals is just one of several personalization features available through OriginOS 7. The operating system also introduces creative visual effects and customization options that allow users to make their smartphones reflect their individual styles.

Wiggle adds movement to wallpapers through motion-responsive effects, creating a more dynamic screen experience. Glint introduces shimmering visual details that give the display an eye-catching appearance, while StickIt allows users to decorate their system with playful stickers.

Together, these features offer different ways to customize the Vivo V80, from animated backgrounds to decorative elements. Rather than simply serving as a communication and productivity tool, the smartphone becomes a more personal device that reflects its owner's preferences and personality.

These additions highlight how software design can enhance the everyday smartphone experience. Small visual details and interactive elements can make routine actions feel more enjoyable without changing how users perform essential tasks.

With Pet Pals and the other OriginOS 7 themes, Vivo aims to make personalization an important part of the Vivo V80 experience. The combination of virtual companions, motion effects, shimmering visuals, and stickers gives users more opportunities to express themselves through their devices.

Watch the Vivo V80 Launch

Users interested in exploring these features can tune in to the Vivo V80 launch livestream on October 30 at 6 PM via Vivo Philippines' official Facebook page.

The livestream will provide an opportunity to discover more about the upcoming smartphone and its personalization features. For users who enjoy customizing their mobile experience, Pet Pals and the other OriginOS 7 themes offer a fresh look at how smartphone interfaces can combine functionality with creativity.

Filipino Innovations Take Center Stage at the 2026 Alfredo M. Yao Innovation Awards

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has recognized outstanding Filipino ingenuity at the 2026 Alfredo M. Yao (AMY) Innovation Awards, celebrating two groundbreaking inventions focused on healthcare, sanitation, and sustainable development.

Held at the Manila Hotel alongside the 52nd Philippine Business Conference and Expo, the ceremony highlighted innovations with the potential to address pressing societal challenges and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Named after Filipino businessman Alfredo M. Yao, whose company received the first ASEAN Business Award in Innovation, the awards recognize socially relevant, Filipino-developed inventions with the potential to create meaningful economic and community impact.

Agapita: Improving Communication for Stroke Survivors

The collegiate category award went to Jose Gian Tubera of Angeles University Foundation for Agapita: An Offline Sketch-to-Speech Communication System for Stroke Survivors with Broca’s Aphasia.

The system transforms patients’ rough sketches into clear, spoken clinical requests without requiring an internet connection. Designed for individuals who experience difficulties expressing themselves following a stroke, Agapita offers a practical communication solution that could help improve interactions between patients and healthcare professionals.

Its offline functionality is particularly valuable in settings where connectivity and access to speech-language pathologists are limited. By making communication more accessible and affordable, the innovation could support more responsive and inclusive healthcare services.

HOCLOMAC: Affordable and Sustainable Disinfection

In the professional category, Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy of USHER Technologies Inc. received recognition for HOCLOMAC, a portable, low-cost hypochlorous acid generator.

Using electrolysis, the device produces disinfectant on demand from readily available materials. Its design aims to reduce recurring sanitation expenses while minimizing plastic waste associated with conventional disinfectant packaging.

HOCLOMAC has potential applications in healthcare facilities, schools, and agriculture, offering a scalable approach to decentralized sanitation. By enabling users to produce disinfectant locally, the technology demonstrates how practical engineering can support safer environments and more sustainable operations.

Championing Filipino Innovation

AMY Awards Chairman Antonio Sayo praised both recipients, emphasizing how Filipino creativity can translate into real-world solutions. The awards were presented by government and industry leaders, including Vice President Sara Duterte, PCCI President Ferdinand A. Ferrer, and other representatives from the business and intellectual property sectors.

Through the AMY Innovation Awards, PCCI continues to promote research, entrepreneurship, and technology development among Filipinos.

The recognition of Agapita and HOCLOMAC underscores the importance of homegrown innovation in addressing healthcare challenges, improving sanitation, and advancing sustainable development. More importantly, these achievements demonstrate how Filipino inventors can create solutions that benefit communities while strengthening the country’s innovation ecosystem and economic competitiveness.

Globe Makes History with First-Ever Golden Arrow Hall of Fame Award

Globe has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to the highest standards of corporate governance, earning Five Golden Arrows from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and the ICD’s first-ever Hall of Fame Award, having consistently received the Five Golden Arrow Award for the fifth consecutive year. This remarkable milestone highlights Globe’s outstanding and sustained leadership in upholding transparency, accountability, shareholder protection, and responsible business leadership.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for our commitment to corporate governance and its principles and best practices. And to be recognized consistently for it for 5 consecutive years is such a profound privilege. It is a testament to our relentless determination to embed a governance culture in the organization alongside our business,” said Marisalve Ciocson-Co, Globe’s Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Vice President for Legal and Compliance.

The distinction recognizes Globe's performance as a publicly listed company under the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACGS), which evaluates shareholder rights, sustainability and resilience, transparency, and board accountability. Five Golden Arrows is reserved strictly for publicly listed companies with a score of 115 points or higher.

To achieve this top-tier rating consistently for five straight years underscores Globe’s ability to maintain high governance standards under an updated ACGS framework aligned with the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, which demands, among others, elevated transparency on sustainability, digital governance, and ESG integration.

Globe’s half-decade track record as a Five Golden Arrow Awardee is preceded by earlier recognitions dating back to 2012, when it became the only telecommunications company recognized at the Philippine Stock Exchange Bell Awards for Excellence in Corporate Governance. Over the years, it continued to receive distinctions for corporate governance, including Top 20 Publicly Listed Companies in the ASEAN Corporate Governance Awards, Top Performing Publicly Listed Company in the Philippines.

“At Globe, our purpose anchors everything we do: we treat people right to create a Globe of Good. That means protecting shareholders’ rights, being transparent and accountable in our decisions, and taking responsibility for the service our customers depend on. The same purpose guides how we govern and how we serve,” said Carl Cruz, Globe President and CEO.

The recognition also reflects the strong governance culture across the Ayala Group, with Ayala Corporation and Bank of the Philippine Islands likewise earning Five Golden Arrows this year. For Globe, maintaining the highest distinction for five consecutive years reinforces the importance of sound governance in supporting responsible innovation, sustainable growth, and long-term business success.

Need a Secure Crypto App? GCash Offers Seamless Transfers and Quick Registration via GCrypto

Finance super app GCash has made exploring and managing digital assets more secure and accessible through GCrypto, powered by Philippine Digital Asset Exchange (PDAX). Found in GCash, the platform allows Filipinos to set up a crypto account in as fast as 30 seconds, seamlessly receive and transfer crypto holdings from other wallets and exchanges, securely trade digital assets on the market, and fund their portfolio with zero cash-in fees directly through their mobile phones.

By streamlining the onboarding process, supporting crypto transfers, and providing direct fiat-to-crypto conversion, GCrypto simplifies traditional barriers associated with digital asset platforms. Users can participate in global market movements without relying on complex peer-to-peer (P2P) workarounds or encountering funding delays, all on a platform they use every day to manage their finances.

Across the country, digital platforms like GCrypto continue to democratize access to diverse asset classes, providing Filipinos with convenient, mobile-first ways to diversify their portfolios.

Simplified Onboarding and Convenient Transfers

Getting started on GCrypto is convenient. Users can complete verification, top up instantly from their GCash wallet, and trade 24/7 through their mobile phones without tedious paperwork submission.

In addition to in-app trading, GCrypto supports seamless send-and-receive functionality, helping users easily move digital assets to and from external crypto wallets and exchanges, without needing to sell or liquidate their holdings. For example, transferring Bitcoin from another wallet to GCrypto is straightforward:

1. Tap Bitcoin on your GCrypto dashboard and select Receive.

2. Copy your receiving address or display the QR code.

3. Paste the address into your external wallet, confirm the transaction details match, and hit send.

Once confirmed on-chain, the funds appear in your GCrypto wallet, ready to hold or trade.

To register on GCrypto, fully verified eligible GCash users 18 years old and above need to open the app, select GCrypto in the Invest tab, and complete the application process to receive instant approval. After registration, users can top up their trading wallet with no transfer fees and in real time from their GCash balance.

By integrating digital asset trading into a digital financial ecosystem already familiar to millions of Filipinos, GCash continues to fulfill its commitment to making financial tools safer, more accessible, and more inclusive for all. For more information, visit www.gcash.com.